Game apparatus.



E. M. LYNN. GAME APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24. 1911.

Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

EDWARD MAYO LYNN, OF JACKSON, MINNESOTA.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 24, 1911.

Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

Serial No. seems.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD MAYO LYNN, citizen of the United States,residing at Jackson, in the county of Jackson and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a an improved game apparatus designed tointerest and amuse the player and which will interest adults as well aschildren, and which may be easily operated and inexpensively constructed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this characterformed in two or more parts which may be readily connected or assembledand which when separated occupies a relatively small space forconvenience in shipping or storage.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certainnovel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described andthen specifically pointed out in the claims, and in the drawingsillustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is.a plan View of the improved game apparatus; Fig. 2 is a section on theline 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

. Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawingsby the samereference characters.

The improved apparatus comprises a base 10, preferably of light wood andof any required size and shape, but preferably about three feet indiameter and substantially circular in outline, as represented in Fig.1.

Surrounding the base 10, except for a short distance on one side, is anelevated rim 11, and mounted upon the base 10 and against the rim 11 isan annular member 12 having a plurality of concentric channels 13 in itsupper face, the channels opening at one end into the space beforementioned at.

one side in the margin 11, as represented at 1 1, and with theiropposite ends opening into the circular space at the center of the base,as represented at 15. The channels 13 are preferably lined with cork orlike material and are preferably formed semi-circular transversely, asrepresented in Fig. 2.

' Formed in the upper surface of the body 10 centrally thereof or withinthe annular member 12 are a plurality of pockets or recesses 16, therecesses preferably arranged in concentric order and spaced a certaindistance apart. Detachably connected to the base 10 and the member 12opposite the open space between the endsof'the margin 11 is an inclinedrunway 17 having the sides 18 elevated and conforming to and continuingthe margin 11 of the base and converging at the outer portions, as shownat- 19. The upper surface of the runway 17 is inclined, as shown in Fig.3, and merges at its bottom into the channels 14:. Supported upon theinclined runway at its upper end is a guide tube 25 having an inwardlydirected opening 26, and located in the upper converging portion of therunway 17 and in advance of the guide tube are a pluralityof verticalpins 20 which are arranged in irregular order as shown. The runwayextension 17 may be connected detachably to the body 10 and its member12 in any suitable manner, but will preferably be coupled thereto bypins 21 in one member fitting in sockets or cavities in the othermember, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. By this means the member 17 maybe removed to reduce the size of the apparatus for convenience inshipping or storage.

A plurality of balls are employed in playing the improved game, and asmany balls will be employed as there are channels 13, in theillustration 3, and being indicated respectively by the characters 22,23 and 24.

The improved apparatus is designed to represent a racetrack having threeseparate tracks, indicated by the channels 13, but it will be obviousthat a greater or lesser number of the tracks may be employed asrequired, and the balls are dropped one at a time into the feed tube 25and pass thence through the opening 26 upon the runway 17.

Any required rules may be adopted for the playing of the game, butpreferably the game will be treated as a race between fast horses andwill be played substantially as followszlhe first player deposits aballin the guide tube 25 and the ball passes through the opening 26 androlls down the inclined runway and among the pins 20 and is divertedthereby and caused to traverse a zig zag course and runs thence into oneof the channels 13. By arranging the pins 26 in irregular positions itwill be difiicult if not impossible for the player to cause the ball toenter any particular one of the and runs finally into the fiat centralspace among the recesses '16 and will generally land in one'oftheserecesses. The recesses are ceived in one of the recesses.

provided with different numbers or other designating data, and theparticular recess in which the ball finally rests is considered inplaying the game. After the first ball has finished its course'andarrived in the central arena, another ball is started on its course andenters one of the channels and thence enters the central arena and isre- The third ball is then started on its course with the same result.

It is obvious that a ball will travel over the course represented by theinner channel 13 in' quicker time than one traveling over the outercourse, while the ball will travel over the intermediate course in acorresponding intermediate time, and the three courses or tracks aredesignated by numerals or other characters to denote time; as forinstance the outer track will be marked 2.10, the intermediate trackwill be marked 1.55, and the inner track will be marked 1.40, to denotethe conventional speeds of race horses, as a ball will travel over theinner course 13 in less time than over the outer and longer course,while the ball will travel over the intermediate course in less timethan over the outer course, but will require more time to travel overthe inner course.

The balls will preferably be distinctively marked, as for instance bydifferent colors, as black, bay-and sorrel, corresponding to the usualcolors of horses, so that they will be readily distinguishable.

The balls are started separately and the second ball will not be starteduntil the first ball has completed its course and landed in one of therecesses 16. After the three balls have completed their courses thenumbers of the recesses 16 in which they finally land are added togetherand divided by.

" three to ascertain the average and a record made of this amount. Thenext player then plays the three balls, and the average of the playascertained in the same manner and so on for any number of players, andthe person who produced the lowest average wins the game.

Any suitable rules may be adopted for playing the game. For instance ifthe recess in which the ball lands is an odd number that number issubtracted from the time record of the track which the ball took. If theball lands upon. an even number in the arena that number is added to therecord. If a ball jumps the track in which it is started, or if it rollsaround the arena and back again into one of the tracks.

ginning a second heat. If the ball makes the course and drops into oneof the holes in the arena and is knocked out of the hole by the nextball, this action is counted legal and the first ball must take anotherrecess, andso with the third ball. first ball for instance is displacedby the second ball and rolls out into one of thetracks, the time of thatball will be left out of the average. If a ball is left within the arenaafter all three have made their courses, and not in a recess, the timeof the track which it took will be left unchanged having nothing to addto or subtract from it. These rules are merely suggestive and -may bechanged as the players may determine.

If the The improved game apparatus is simple in construction, can beinexpensively'manu- 'factured of any suitable material and any requiredsize, but, as before stated, the body 12 with its tracks 13 willpreferably be lined with cork, to cause the balls to be slightlyretarded in their movements and thus add interest to the game.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new 1s -1.' A gameapparatuscomprising a board having a plurality of concentric channelscurving outwardly at their outer ends and communicating at their innerends with an open central space, and an inclined runway communicatingwith the outer ends of thechannels.

2. A game apparatus comprising a board having a plurality of recessescentrally thereof and with a plurality of concentric channels curvingoutwardly at their outer ends and communicating at their inner ends withsaid central recessed portion, and an inclined runway communicating withthe outer ends of the channels.

3. game apparatus comprising a board having a plurality of concentricchannels curving outwardly at their outer ends and communicating attheir inner ends with an open central space, an inclined runwaycommunicating with the outer ends of the channels, and a plurality ofstop pins at the upper end of the runway.

4. A game apparatus comprising a board having a plurality of concentricchannels curving outwardly at their outer ends and communicating attheir inner ends with an open central space, an inclined runwaycommunicating with the outer ends of the chinnels, and a feed tube atthe upper end of the runway.

5. A game apparatus comprising a, board having a plurality of concentricchannels curving outwardly at their outer ends'and nels, a plurality ofsto pins at the upper 10 I a feed tube in adend of the runway, an Vanceofthe pins.

In testimony whereof,' I .afiix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

I EDWARD MAYO LYNN. [14. s.] Witnesses:

CHARLES MAUNDERS,

W. D. HUNTER.

